1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sanitary shopping cart handle covers, and more specifically to reusable prophylactic shopping cart handle covers that are manufactured from a hypoallergenic, non-toxic material allowing an infant or small child to safely teeth thereon while seated in a shopping cart, and that have features attractive to an infant or a child.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
The widespread use of shopping carts in supermarkets, some department stores and other retail merchandise establishments has greatly simplified shopping for the consumer. The cart allows consumers to pick up a plurality of desired items for purchase and place them in the cart, while keeping their hands free and affording them mobility to move through the store while shopping.
A problem with store-owned shopping carts, as with any item frequently handled by numerous members of the public, involves the accumulation of germs, namely bacteria and other skin-borne infectious agents, on shopping cart handles. Each successive shopper handling the cart comes into contact with the germs of the prior shopper, and further deposits his own germs. To remedy this situation, the store itself could sanitize the handle of each shopping cart after each use thereof. This however, would be an unrealistic solution, as several customers handle each of the store's scores of shopping carts daily, and to implement such a sanitation program would be costly and time-consuming for the store. It is therefore upon the germ-conscious individual to solve this problem.
A further, related problem concerns infants and small children, who, while seated in a shopping cart, often teeth on or chew on the handle, thereby coming into immediate oral contact with this source of germs. While a shopper could wear gloves to protect himself from the handle, this would not prevent a child from teething on or otherwise orally contacting the exposed handle.
Several inventions and patents have involved devices that aim to solve one or both of these related sanitary problems. U.S. Pat. No. 2,803,849 describes a tubular paper cover that slips onto a specially-designed shopping cart handle having one end that removably engages the body of the cart. Accordingly, the sanitary handle cover of '849 is not compatible with conventional shopping carts, and would incur an immense expense for stores to replace their supply of conventional carts or to install the special handles thereon. Furthermore, the handle cover of '849 is paper, through which a teething child could easily and quickly chew, makes it unsatisfactory as a prophylactic device.
The disposable shopping cart handle cover of U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,319 comprises a single rolled sheet of semi-rigid plastic in the preferred embodiment of the invention. The rolled sheet is cut longitudinally along one side, with a notch, to facilitate placement of the cover onto a shopping cart handle. The handle cover is also individually wrapped to further maintain its sanitary state until the time of use. An alternative embodiment of the handle cover of '319, illustrated in FIG. 9, involves mounting a roll of plastic wrap, or other disposable material, with a cutting edge on the cart near the handle, so that each successive customer can pull a length of plastic wrap sufficient to cover the handle. Both of these embodiments of '319 would produce a significant increase in plastic waste, contributing to the deluge of disposable plastic products currently employed in stores. Unlike plastic bags and food containers, however, the used handles could not be recycled, given the accumulation of germs on their surface. Beyond being environmentally unsound, these embodiments of '319 also fail to adequately address the teething problem, as neither the semi-rigid plastic nor the plastic wrap have the integrity to withstand continuous teething. Moreover each of these materials would pose a significant health risk to the child if ingested, a likely possibility given the ease with which these materials can be chewed through.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,672 discloses a removable protective cover that can be attached to a shopping cart handle or a rented stroller. Additionally, the protective cover of '672 is washable and reusable. Like some of the previously discussed patents, the cover of '672 is environmentally unsound because of its use of plastic for fabricating the cover. Moreover, the protective cover lacks features that are likely to attract a child's attention to the protective cover rather than some other structure within the child's reach.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,866,649 and 4,881,746 disclose shopping cart handle covers that incorporate means for occupying an infant or small child seated in the cart. Any distraction for the infant or child greatly assists the parent or adult who is shopping, as the child's attention is drawn away from desired products that the child would otherwise incessantly beg the parent or adult to purchase. The handle cover of '649 comprises a string of ornaments, such as beads, bells or plastic figurines, having both ends secured to the handle cover. The string distracts the child from the handle cover, but is not safe for teething, as the small ornaments thereon can come loose and be swallowed. The handle cover of '746 includes a strap that secure a toy, such as a teething ring, onto it. Unfortunately, the toy can be easily disengaged from the strap, possibly dropped onto the floor of the store and lost. Moreover, the string of ornaments of the device of '649 and the toy strap of '746 each occupy and obscure a significant portion of the surface of the respective handle covers, thereby limiting the places for a customer to grip the handle cover, ultimately compromising cart maneuverability. In addition, the string of ornaments of '649 and the toy strap of '746 complicate the washing of these handle covers, and could become disengaged with repeated cleanings.
Many of the embodiments of the sanitary shopping cart handle cover of U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,392 are described as being disposable, and therefore suffer from many of the same shortcomings as the handle cover of '319, described above. Specifically, the increase in waste resulting from widespread use of the disposable handle covers disclosed in '392 would adversely affect the environment, incur an additional expense for the store and customer, and create an extra burden on the waste management personnel of stores employing such handle covers.
In addition, both the disposable and non-disposable embodiments of '392 lack any distractive features intended to make the device more attractive for use with a potentially bothersome infant or small child. One embodiment of the cover of '392 includes a coupon clip and securing thong that hangs suspended from the cover, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4. Another embodiment includes end flaps that fall from both ends of a shopping cart handle to afford better protection thereof, as shown in FIG. 6. A third embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, has bifurcated end straps for adjusting the cover to fit different handle lengths. When used with smaller shopping carts, the bifurcated ends also fall from both ends of the handle. All of these embodiments incorporate terminal elements that fall from the ends of the handle, and by virtue of their location, movement and different shapes and sizes, constitute eye-catching distractions for the infant or child seated in the car, who is faced with an otherwise unremarkable cover design. In attempting to access these terminal elements, an infant or child can inadvertently contact unprotected parts of the cart, undermining the purpose of the device of '392. In squirming to reach the terminal elements, an infant or child could also displace items in the cart, or, more seriously, injure himself if left unattended.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. Des. 328,812 and Des. 370,110 both illustrate types of shopping cart handle covers that circumferentially and longitudinally engage the handle.
In light of the shortcomings of the above inventions and, patents, there is a need for an environmentally sound system for covering the handles of conventional shopping carts that does not promote the increased proliferation of plastic waste. There is also a need for a prophylactic shopping cart handle cover that withstands teething and other adverse handling by an infant or child and incorporates a distracting amusement feature to occupy the infant or child without presenting unsafe conditions for the child.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.